Author's Note: Hello lovelies! :D

I'm gunna try to make this as short as possible.

I'd like to thank everyone who told me to continue the story. As you can see, I listened! ;) Chapter two's gunna be a bit longer than chapter one – I'm gunna be introducing a few new characters and stuff…sorry if this chapter seems a bit dull, but I'm setting up the plot and everything. I promise the next chapter will be amazing, though!

Also, thank you to all those who subscribed to author/story alerts. I got more than 60 already!

Enjoy!

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Disclaimer: Steph and Christina are feeling kinda stressed out…

Steph: *Whips calculator at wall*
WHAT. THE. HELL! WHY THE FUCK DOESN'T 'X' EQUAL 8?! IT SHOULD EQUAL 8, DAMMIT! AND WHY DOES 'X' STAND FOR 'X', ANYWAY? DO THESE MATHMATICIANS WANT TO MAKE ME THINK MATH IS EXCITING? "Look little girl, X marks the spot! Search for the buried treasure! It's right under X!" WeLL GUESS WHAT, BUDDY! MATH ISN'T FRIGGIN TREASURE ISLAND OR SOME SHIT LIKE THAT! IT'S FRIGGIN' HOMEWORK! GET IT?

Christina: *Fearing for her life at this point*
Oh, common Steph! Math isn't impossible, it just takes concentration!

Steph: *Calming down*
No way! It's impossible! Like finding someone as perfect as Edward or Derek, or eating a whole tub of maple pecan ice cream, or-

Christina: You owning DP?

Steph: Yeah! Like me owning more than the plot and characters I create for this story and- HEY! WAIT A SEC!

Christina: *Smiles widely*

Steph: *Crosses arms*
We're gunna talk about this in counseling!

Chapter #2: Suspicions

The suspicious mind believes more than it doubts. It believes in a formidable and ineradicable evil lurking in every person.

-Eric Hoffer

Ten Years Old

I was shaken awake roughly by one of the older girls.

"Chloe, the warden wants you to get up," she whispered.

I opened my eyes, wondering what the head nurse could possibly want from me. "Why? I don't have laundry duty today, do I?" I asked, still half asleep.

"No. That couple is coming in to meet you today. Remember?"

I groaned and covered my head with the pillow. I did remember: there was a young couple coming in to meet me today. They were in their late 20's, and according to the nurses, they were really nice people; the wife hadn't been able to get pregnant and they had decided to give in and adopt. Apparently I had sparked their interest: a little blond-haired, blue-eyed orphan who was already halfway to adulthood (they were too busy for a baby).

Amber yanked the pillow away and shook me. "Cummon, Chloe! You have to get up or the warden's gunna come up here and drag you to the showers!"

I kicked the covers off and sat up. "Gah! I'm up, I'm up! Gosh!"

She smiled mischievously. "Good. Now go get ready!"

I obeyed her orders and made my way over to the showers, stopping at the laundry room to grab a clean towel.

***

I showered and dressed, trying my best to make myself look 'presentable'.

I still felt extremely nervous, so to calm my nerves, I locked the bathroom door and called my mother.

"Hey hun!" she said cheerily. She hugged the air around me.

"Hey mom!" I said after she released me. "Sorry about bugging you last night…"

"Don't be ridiculous, sweetie! You never bother me!"

I smiled. What a 'mom' thing to say! "Don't lie, mom! I know I've been kinda clingy lately."

"It's understandable, Chloe. Now, enough about that! You have that meeting with those nice people today, don't you?"

"Yeah…"

"I know you're nervous, but trust me, they really are good people; and just think: when they adopt you, you'll be out of this horrible place for good!" She smiled, as if the very thought made her day.

"Sounds great, but what if I hate it there? What if they-"

"CHLOE SAUNDERS! WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN THERE? YOU'RE MEETING IS IN LESS THAN TEN MINUTED YOUNG LADY!"

I shuddered. Ms. Van Dop, the head of staff –known as "the warden" to the children because of her shrill voice and strict military-school style rules- had probably heard me talking to my mother.

Great. Another reason for them to think I'm crazy. It's not enough that most of the kids won't talk to me…

"Bye mom," I whispered.

"Good luck, Chloe. I love you."

"Love you too!"

I grabbed the green plastic brush off the counter and unlocked the door, coming face-to-face with Ms. Van Dop. She had her arms crossed and was tapping her foot angrily in time to the ticking noises coming from clock in the kitchen. "What were you doing in there?" she demanded.

"Just brushing my hair," I said innocently, waving the brush in front of her face. Her eyes narrowed, and I could tell she didn't believe me.

"Get downstairs," she said finally, pointing towards the stairs.

I nodded and turned to walk away, but she grabbed my wrist and squeezed it tightly, her long spidery fingers digging into my skin. She leaned down and began to whisper in my ear. "I know you're hiding something, little girl; don't think that I don't. Your appearance may have deceived everyone else, but I know there's something going on."

I shivered, the angry edge to her voice frightening me more than anything else had in the past few months. She released my wrist. "Now go."

She slammed the door, leaving me alone and shaking in the hallway. I wiped the tears away, composing myself before finally heading downstairs.

***

It turn out the nurses hadn't been exaggerating when they told me Lauren and Andrew were really nice people.

They were in their late twenties, having been married for over 4 years now. Lauren was a doctor at the hospital and Andrew worked at a bank. Lauren reminded me of my mother in some ways – she was blond, statuesque and had a very calm demeanor. Andrew, on the other hand, looked nothing like my father - although he too loved cracking jokes and smiling.

I felt comfortable around them; I could tell they were good people.

We chatted for hours. Andrew told me funny stories about their family, Lauren jumping in and finishing his sentences whenever he lost his train of thought. My parents used to be like that, I remembered, the hollow feeling creeping back. I felt guilty about forgetting about them for so long while joking around with these complete strangers…

I heard laughing and turned around. Some of the children my age were crowded outside the door, watching us. Ben, a rude and obnoxious boy who – in my opinion – shouldn't have made it passed the second grade, was smirking mischievously. Something about that smirk made me feel queasy.

"Chloe, hun, are you alright? You look upset. Is something wrong?" Lauren asked.

The sound of my name interrupted my guilt-fest and my thoughts. I turned back around to face her again.

"W-what? Oh! So-sorry about that! I'm all right, I was just th-thinking about something…" I smiled to convince her further. She smiled back before proceeding.

"We've been rambling on for hours! You're probably sick of hearing our stories by now. What are some of your favourite things to do?"

"Yeah! Tell us about yourself," Andrew encouraged.

I struggled to find something that sounded like what a normal ten-year-old girl might say. "I…um…I like wa-watching m-movies," I said. Lame, but true.

"Really?" Andrew's face lit up. "I'm a movie fanatic! Lauren and I go to a movie every Saturday and Tuesday! What are some of your favourites?" he asked.

I smiled widely. I could get used to this. "Well, I love horror movies… I loved The Ring and all the really old stuff like Dracula. Those zombie and werewolf movies are my favourites, though." Andrew was practically beaming by the time I was done.

"Chloe, you are probably the coolest kid I've ever met," he said grandly. "Lauren, I think we should-

"Hey Chloe; why don't you tell them what else you like to do?" Ben called from the door.

My heart sank. He wouldn't… "Um, I…" I said pathetically.

To my absolute horror Ben strolled in and sat down next to Lauren, who looked confused. "Cummon Chloe!" He pestered. "Tell them about how you can talk to ghosts!

He would.

"That's not true!" I whined, on the verge of tears.

"Yes it is! You're always locked in the bathroom, talking to someone who's not really there!" He said in a sing-song voice. A few traitorous tears escaped as I struggled to deny what he was saying.

"THAT'S ENOUGH!" Amber marched in angrily and grabbed Ben's shoulder. "Please excuse him," she said politely. "Ben hasn't taken his pills today, and he's a little cranky…" She leaned down to whisper in his ear. Whatever she said must've terrified him, because he apologized hastily and was gone by the time I was done blinking.

There was an awkward silence that stretched on for a few minutes, before finally, Andrew spoke.

"Well, now that that's over…" He smiled and looked over at Lauren. A silent message passed between them before he spoke again. "Chloe…how would you feel about coming to live with us?"

Is he serious?!

"Really? You want to adopt me?" I asked.

This time Lauren was the one to respond. "Yes! We would love it if you wanted to come live with us, but we won't force you. It's your decision. Do you want us to adopt you?" she asked gently.

"Of course!" I shrieked, jumping up out of my chair and racing over to hug them both. I'm finally getting out of here! I realized. No more evil nurses and stupid boys and itchy sheets! I'm finally getting out of here!

***

Four months later I was in the back of Lauren's SUV, clutching the small box that contained all of my worldly possessions. The adoption process had taken longer than I'd thought, but now it was over and I was on my way to my new home.

Andrew and Lauren had visited me twice a week during it all, occasionally bringing me movies and showing me pictures of their house. Lauren had even showed me a picture of my future 'room', telling me she was having it remodeled for me, but that she wanted to keep it a surprise.

Lauren was smiling at me from the front seat while Andrew drove. I smiled nervously back, trying to rein in the way my memories from that night were making me feel – I wanted to scream, but something told me that wouldn't go over well.

We wove through thousands of forest- lined roads, finally arriving at a very modern-looking two-story house almost an hour later.

"We're here!" Andrew said. I was so absorbed with examining the house that I almost didn't hear him.

It looked like something straight out of a horror movie. If I was directing, I would have set this as the primary location. It was perfect – surrounded by acres of undisturbed forest, miles away from the town and other houses nearby…

"Woah," I whispered to myself.

"You like?" Andrew asked. "Most people don't approve, but I think it's great."

"It's amazing!" I agreed. He chuckled and grabbed the box from the back seat.

"Welcome home, Chloe."

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A/N: She's finally home! *Smiles like an idiot*

Well guys, that's chapter 2. I hope you liked it; if not….please bear with me. I promise it'll get better! Please review! (The more reviews I get, the faster I'll post the next chapter!)